ABSTRACT
Harrod and Stevens20 described two newborns who presented with neonatal aspiration pneumonia that developed following maternal amnionitis. B. fragilis was recovered from the blood of these children.
Brook, et al.22 reported three newborns with neonatal pneumonia caused by organisms belonging to members of the B. fragilis group. The mothers of all three infants had premature rupture of their membranes and subsequent amnionitis. The maternal membranes ruptured more than 24 hours before delivery, and the amniotic fluid was foulsmelling. Organisms identical to those recovered from the newborns were recovered from the amniotic fluid of two of the mothers. In all three instances, the organisms were recovered from tracheal aspirates and in two from blood cultures as well. Two of the newborns were treated with ampicillin and gentamicin but succumbed to their infections; one of these infants also had meningitis. The third baby, treated with clindamycin, recovered.
